


this thing called a heart

by dorkstagram (orphan_account)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU, Fluff, M/M, SO FUCKING FLUFFY
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2013-07-30
Packaged: 2017-12-21 21:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/905325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/dorkstagram
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>He opens the door slowly, trying to be discreet, then heads over to one of the loungers on the side of the pool and cracks open his book. It starts with him glancing up at the boy as he's turning pages, but before he knows it, he's not reading his book at all. He's just staring at the boy, unabashedly, only looking away when the boy catches him staring.</i>
</p><p>(or: Zayn has a crush on the boy he sees at the pool.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	this thing called a heart

**Author's Note:**

> It's supposed to be based on [this prompt](http://fluffyfeels.tumblr.com/post/56744002040/ziall-zayn-hated-water-especially-the-country-club).

"Come on, mum, please," Zayn whines. Desperately trying to get out of going to the resort for a 5th year in a row. "I don't want to go to that stupid resort, again."

"You're too young to stay on your own," She replies, and he scoffs.

"I'm 16 years old, honestly, what's really going to happen to me?" He begs. He doesn't understand why she's being so difficult.

"I don't know, Zayn, but if anything  _does_ happen, I don't want all of us to be in Lancashire while you're here. I'm not taking that chance, okay? No more questions, you're coming."

Zayn grumbles but reluctantly agrees, not in the mood to argue with his mum any further. He's then stomping up the stairs and slamming his door, while packing all of his things in a rush, because he'd just assumed that his mum would agree to let him stay home. He assumed wrong.  _I bet if Doniya wanted to stay home, she'd let her_ , he thinks, but he doesn't say a word.

After packing all of his things, he heads downstairs, dropping his bag on the floor before flopping himself down on the sofa with an exasperated sigh. "Don't wanna fucking go."

"Zayn Javadd Malik," he hears his father scold from in the kitchen. "You watch your language, and I don't wanna hear another word of your complaining. You're coming with us and you're going to have fun and you're not going to be in a bad mood the whole time, got it? We're leaving in 30 minutes, you have until then to get your attitude in check, alright?"

"Yes, baba," he replies, knowing full well that the sarcasm came through, and grateful that his father didn't comment on it because he is  _not_ in the mood.

He stays on the couch, drifting in and out of sleep, not moving an inch, until Safaa is shaking him awake. "Up, Zaynie! It's time to go!" and he's smiling at her, because that cute little face is impossible to be mad at, even when everything else sucks. So he's lifting her up with one arm, as she nuzzles her head into the crook of his neck, and she's much too big for this now but he doesn't mind. He's then grabbing his bag in his other hand and dragging it out to the car and throwing it in the trunk, while tucking himself next to Safaa in the back seat. He really doesn't want to go, still. Really, really, really doesn't want to go.

The car ride there is fine. He manages to squeeze in some sleep and before he knows it, they're there. Just what he didn't want. They're finished unloading all of their things and dragging them to their suite, but instead of getting settled in like the rest of the family is, he decides to wander around. He grabs a book and lets his mother know, then he's out the door. Searching for nothing more than a place to hide and get some peace and quiet so maybe he can enjoy this week.

He passes the indoor pool and normally he wouldn't give it a second look. At first glance, it was empty, but at second glance, he saw a gorgeous pale boy with bottle blond hair rising to the top of the water and shaking his hair, then climbing out.  _Gorgeous_ , Zayn thinks,  _absolutely breath-takingly beautiful._ Guess it couldn't hurt to read his book by the pool, could it?

He opens the door slowly, trying to be discreet, then heads over to one of the loungers on the side of the pool and cracks open his book. It starts with him glancing up at the boy as he's turning pages, but before he knows it, he's not reading his book at all. He's just staring at the boy, unabashedly, only looking away when the boy catches him staring. 

The boy is then leaving and Zayn realizes he's been sitting here for over an hour, his parents must be wondering where he is. He waits for a few minutes after the boy's left to follow suit, heading back to his room.

\--

He goes back the next day, book in hand. The pool is slightly more crowded today, but the boy is there, and the lounger he'd sat in yesterday is unoccupied, so he heads for it. He goes through the same routine as yesterday. Starting off just glancing, until he's staring and not reading anymore. He wants to memorize every inch of this boy. He wants to know the color of his eyes, he wants to know how his voice sounds, he wants to see what his hair looks like under the bright and shining sun. He thinks that he could go talk to the boy, that it couldn't hurt, but then he thinks that maybe it could. He's got so many thoughts running through his head.  _What if he thinks I'm weird? What if he thinks I'm ugly? What if he's not even gay?_ He's talked himself out of it. He settles for moving closer, kicking off his shoes and dangling his feet over the edge of the pool, there's no harm in that, right? Except he hates the water, he's deathly afraid of it, and as he sits down on the edge, his heart is beating out of control. That is until his eyes land on the boy again, and his heart calms down. Still beating fast but in a way that's much more pleasant this time. 

Everyone's clearly the pool, including the life guards, and once it's just he and the beautiful blond boy, he thinks he should leave so it's not as obvious why he's here in the first place. He starts getting up and he's ready to leave, until he slips and then he's falling straight into the pool.  _Why the fuck did I have to sit at the deep end_ , he thinks, as he's struggling and failing to get back to the surface. He's sure he's going to die right here and right now and  _why couldn't I have just learned to swim like everyone else?_ And he's sure his life is over until he feels a pair of arms wrapping around his middle and taking him back to the surface.

He's in a fit of coughs and he's got his eyes squeezed shut. He can feel that whoever just saved him from the water is still sat next to him and he doesn't think he can bear to see who it is. He's so embarrassed. Once his coughing has calmed down, though, he opens his eyes slowly and there, hovering above him, are a pair of bright blue eyes are staring down at him, and they're attached to that beautiful blond boy and Zayn wants so badly to just run away. He's just made a fool of himself, and he's got to get out of here.

But he doesn't run away, doesn't think he's got the strength, so he just closes his eyes again and prays that this is all a dream. "Are you okay?" he hears the voice ask and yeah, Zayn's convinced that everything about this boy is the most beautiful thing he's ever come across. An Irish accent, paired with beautiful pale skin, bright blue eyes, and gorgeous blond hair. Zayn opens his eyes again and he wants to die.

"Yeah, uh, thanks," Zayn mumbles. "You didn't have to save me."

"Well fuck, I wasn't just gonna stand there and watch you drown." The boy replies. "I've got this thing called a heart."

Zayn chuckles at that, and he really doesn't understand why this boy is still sitting here next to him, when he could have just gotten him out of the pool and been on his way. 

"You've been staring at me," The boy notes, and Zayn doesn't think he's ever wished more than right now that he could have just drowned. "I know you thought I wasn't noticing you, but I'm not blind. I'm Niall Horan."

"Niall," Zayn speaks, testing the name out on his tongue, and it's beautiful, just like everything else about him. "I'm Zayn," he says, reaching out his hand. "Zayn Malik."

"Well Zayn Malik," Niall smirks. "Seeing as I did just save you from your death, I think you owe me one. How about I let you buy me dinner?"

Zayn's nodding his head furiously and he knows he seems too eager, not that he really cares at this point. "We should probably go change first." Then Zayn's jotting down his room number on a small piece of paper and giving it to Niall before running like the wind back to his room to get ready. He's got to look perfect. This is his one shot.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, not so fast," His mum says from her spot on the couch when he enters their suite. "What are you in such a rush for? Where are you going?"

"Gotta get ready for dinner, mum, don't have much time." He replies, moving to go into his room before she interrupts him again.

"We're not going to dinner yet." She says.

"Dinner with a  _boy_ ," He responds, like it's obvious. "I have a dinner date with a boy."

"Do we get to meet this boy who you're going on a date with?" She asks, raising an eyebrow at him.

"No!" He demands. "No, not yet."

She sighs, defeated, and adds "Run along then."

Zayn rushes to get ready but makes sure he looks perfect. He throws on a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt, before hurrying to dry his hair, then styling it up into a quiff. 

He hears a knock at the door just as he's finished getting ready and he runs to get there before his parents do, but when he gets there, his father is standing at the door in front of Niall and  _fuck_ , he thinks,  _I'm completely fucked._ His father insists on sitting Niall down and getting to know him a bit before they leave and Zayn feels like such a fucking girl, that his dad has to meet his date before they can go out.  _I'm a 16 year old boy, not a 16 year old girl_ , he thinks,  _I'm a fucking boy._

But Zayn does learn some nice things about Niall while his father is asking questions. His favorite thing that he finds out is that he lives in Shipley, which is not too far from East Bowling, which makes Zayn smile. He was born in Ireland but moved here 3 years ago with his parents, and Zayn is really glad that he did.

Zayn's dad gives them the go ahead to leave and he's letting out a sigh of relief as he leads Niall out the door. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine." Niall replies, and Zayn looks over to see him smiling and he's so happy. "I like him."

"I like  you." Zayn blurts out and he feels like an idiot. _That was not supposed to happen, oh god, oh god, oh god_ , and he just wants to run back to his room and lock the door. _  
_

"Good," Niall replies and he's smiling big. "I like you too." And now Zayn's a little glad that he did say it, because that was good to hear. So good to hear.

At dinner, Niall orders a huge meal that he knows he'd be too shy to order if he knew that someone else was paying for it, but Niall's not shy about it. Niall's not shy about anything and Zayn likes that about him. Zayn wonders if he's ever going to find something he doesn't like about Niall. He doesn't think so. They talk about everything under the sun and Niall just keeps getting better and better, Zayn thinks. Zayn thinks that if he were Niall, he'd be bored of Zayn by now, but he still seems all-too interested and Zayn's heart is beating out of time.

Niall walks Zayn back to his suite after dinner, and they're hand in hand, and Zayn feels like he needs to be pinched.  _How the hell did I get this_ , he thinks. Before Zayn can open the door, Niall's turning him around and kissing him. It's chaste but it lingers, and Zayn thinks he's about to pass out from how perfect and completely unreal this feels. "Are you going to come stare at me again tomorrow?"

"Doubt it."

"I'll see you there, then." And Niall's kissing him on the cheek and walking away from Zayn with a  wink.

\--

Zayn does go stare at him the next day. Zayn goes to stare at him everyday. Only it's different, this time, because Niall's given him permission. And it's different when Niall swims over to the side of the pool every few minutes to give Zayn a quick kiss before swimming away. Zayn doesn't think he regrets going on this trip anymore. 

He never really thought he'd say that he doesn't want to go home. Because a week ago, he was begging to be able to stay there and not come on this trip at all. But now it's the day they're leaving and Zayn wants nothing more than to plant his feet right where he is and stay here forever, with Niall. And he feels like an idiot because he's only known Niall for a week but he's already so attached.

Niall's knocking on the door to his suite to say goodbye and Zayn drags him out of the room before kissing him hard on the mouth, and he never wants this kiss to end. "I don't want to leave you."

Niall snickers and shakes his head. "You're not leaving me, Zayn," Niall says. "I only live 30 minutes away, and I'm going home in 3 days. I'll see you every weekend, or something."

"Promise?" Zayn asks and he's crying and he feels so stupid.

He feels like the biggest idiot in the entire world because he's crying because he's not going to see Niall for 3 days. Niall, the boy who he met a week ago and somehow became attached to him so quickly. But then Niall's nodding, and he's not laughing at how ridiculous Zayn is acting, and Zayn feels okay. "I promise." Niall responds, sealed with a kiss. "Every single weekend, I promise." Sealed with another kiss.

\--

Niall keeps his promise.

Every single weekend, Niall's coming to Zayn's house or Zayn's going to his. And Zayn never thought he'd be so lucky to get a boyfriend as wonderful as Niall, and he still can't believe that this is his life, all because of the day at the pool all that time ago when Zayn almost drowned. Niall eventually stops coming, about 2 years later, and it's only because he doesn't need to anymore.

They'd both applied to Brunel University in London, hoping that they'd both get accepted and could get a flat together in the city.

Zayn got his letter back, and he was accepted, but Niall still hasn't called him to tell him whether he was accepted or not, so Zayn's calling him.

One, two, three rings, then Niall answers the phone.

"Hi Zee."

"I got my letter."

"So did I."

"I got accepted."

"So did I."

"So we're really gonna do this?"

"I want to."

"I want to, too."

"Then yeah, we're really gonna do this."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Zee."

And then they hang up and Zayn's smiling so wide, and he can sense that Niall is doing the same thing.

\--

5 months later, they're moving into their flat in the city. Only a studio flat, but it's enough for them, more than enough, because they're got each other. And as they're laying in bed that night, Zayn snuggled up to Niall's back, he only has one thing to say.

"Thank you for not letting me drown."

And Niall's chuckling, turning around so they're face to face, and kissing Zayn on the tip of the nose, then both cheeks, then finally the lips. "You're welcome." he says. "I've got this thing called a heart."


End file.
